Leo Godshalk - Quarry Worker
One of the main occupations in Pen Argyl in the 1930's, was that of a slate quarry worker. Now that most of the quarries are closed, the workers have been retired and are living in different areas of Pen Argyl. One particular man worked for thirty years in Albion Slate Company, also known as Stoderman's to the workers. The quarry was located across from what is now Grand Central Sanitation.
His name is Leo Godshalk. He was a pulley man. His job was to load pulleys with slate that was dug right out of the hole. That means he had
to be in the hole where it was dangerous. The workers were always at risk because shale and slate could fall and hit them. Besides this, poor air quality caused respiratory problems and made breathing difficult.
Leo Godshalk started work in 1932. He was in his mid-twenties then and already had a wife to support. Since the boss, Danny Tedesko, was the father of a close friend of his, he was hired. He was the first one there, for he had to open the gates. Before anyone else arrived, he could have a small breakfast and read the morning paper. Then when the whistle blew, he had to rush out into the quarry hole.
The pay was very low. He had to take on a second job so he could support his wife and himself. His second job also involved working with slate. That job required that he mold slate so schools and other places could use it for blackboards or other materials.
He never took a vacation or any rest for fear that he might lose his job. So every day, like clockwork, he would go to the quarry, open the gates, and wait for the whistle.
His worst memory was when his best friend, Angelo Tedesko, was hit with a piece of ice that broke off and fell on him. They were working side by side hoisting up slate on the pulleys. All of a sudden a piece of ice broke off from the side of the hole. It fell directly onto Angelo. It was a miracle the man wasn't killed. However, when he took off his shirt, one could see bruising up and down his back.
Most of Leo's life was spent working at the quarry. He had to retire thirty years later, in 1962, because his wife very sick. It wasn't much longer when the quarry closed. Leo Godshalk was a man who spent a lifetime in the quarry developing a major part of Pen Argyl's history.
Pen Argyl History |Keller Massacre | Carousel | Slate Industry | Slate Shanties | Leo Godshalk, Quarry Worker | Michael Curcio Interview | Food of the Slate Belt | Maryella Correll Interview
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